I’m walking along a beach. Pristine sand, crystal clear, flat calm water, and not another soul in sight. But I do have company – following me as I amble along on my post-dinner stroll, about one metre out in the water, is a huge stingray, shadowing me like a dog hoping for scraps. Out in the bay a pod of six adult and two young dolphins are fishing for their supper. If I look up into the hinterland behind the beach, there is a large hill and near the summit is a rock that looks for all the world like a koala bear.
Welcome to Schouten Island.
I am spending two weeks in this paradise as part of the Parks and Wildlife Campground Host program. I spend my days walking the beaches, collecting odd pieces of litter, keeping the camping ground and toilets clean and tidy, fishing, bushwalking, snorkelling, kayaking, chatting to visitors and generally being a presence for Parks and Wildlife on the island. It’s a tough gig but …
Before arriving here, courtesy of a quick trip from Coles Bay, down the Freycinet Peninsula in the Parks catamaran Mavadenna, I knew nothing about this island except for its location. But like its larger cousin Maria, a little further south, Schouten has a rich history and a fascinating story to tell.
Referred to as Schouten’s Isle by explorer Abel Tasman in 1642, after an official of the Dutch East India Company, the island is traditionally known as mayaluwarana and is within the country of the Oyster Bay tribe. From the north-eastern tip of Sandspit Point, an extensive Aboriginal cultural living area is densely scattered across the coastline and serves as a reminder of the palawa families who lived on this country for thousands of years. In 1816, whaler and sealer James Kelly made note of the large numbers of palawa people he saw when visiting the area looking for whales.
The first European settlers on the island were sealers who worked the area in the early 1800s. Schouten is also believed to have been the location of as many as seven separate whaling stations during the early to middle part of the 19th century. Evidently the southern right whales were easy pickings as they journeyed through Schouten Passage.
Coal was discovered on the island by sealer John Stacey in 1809 and was mined between 1842 and 1892. There are some coal shafts still visible along with the remains of an old tramway, used to transport the coal from one end of the island to the other. Two jetties were in use around this time but no evidence remains. Also at this time tin was discovered and there are reports of up to 50 Chinese miners working the tin deposits. Chinese Creek runs through the island and appears to have been the centre of this activity.
From 1870 until 1960, various families held leases on Schouten Island for the purpose of raising livestock, mainly sheep, and growing vegetables. There are two huts on the island, behind the beach in Moreys Bay, which date from this period and they are known as Cooks and Moreys huts. Today they are used as a museum/visitor information centre and also by the campground hosts. Friends of Freycinet, along with Parks and Wildlife, have an ongoing program of restoration and maintenance of the huts.
Schouten Island has such a diverse history that it didn’t surprise me to learn that the bushranger Matthew Brady and his gang were supposed to have spent some time here in 1825.
The island was made part of the Freycinet National Park in 1977 and since then has been a tourism and fishing destination. A lovely beach and camping area is situated in Crocketts Bay.
Schouten Passage and Great Oyster Bay are busy waterways, used by pleasure craft, recreational fishers and tourist boats on a daily basis. Many of these call into Schouten for anything from a few hours to several days. Indeed, on one night we had more than 30 boats of various types anchored off the island.
Despite the fact that there are no roads and the majority of the island is hard to access, the aforementioned huts, Bear Hill, Mt Storey, the waterfall on Chinese Creek and the coal mines are all regular destinations for visitors.
Campground hosts sleep in tents and use two rooms in Cooks Hut for cooking and storage. Conditions are basic but comfortable and the bush shower is a highlight. With a bag of hot water hung from a tree and superb views across Schouten Passage, it would be hard to imagine a more beautiful bathroom. Having an island to yourself, on the odd night when there were no visitors, was a wonderful feeling. Duties were not onerous and there was plenty of time for exploring, fishing, snorkelling, or just sitting in the shade of a she-oak and reading or watching the world go by through The Passage.
Visitors were universally pleasant and took care of the island. People were keen to look after this wonderful place – indeed many related that they had been coming here with friends and family for generations.
A group of fishermen arrived at our hut one afternoon looking a little sheepish and wondering if we might spare them some fresh water. Visitors bring their own water onto the island but this group had slightly underestimated the quantity they would need. We were happy to help and I was even happier when they came back the next day with a crayfish to thank us.
Schouten Island really is a special place and one needs time to appreciate all it has to offer. Having two weeks as a campground host was ideal – it allowed us to really soak up the beauty and explore fully the various points of interest.
And the stingrays following us along the beach? They really do. The rays come in various sizes and have got used to fishers cleaning their catch off the beach providing them with a meal. They obviously associate the sight of a two legged animal walking on the beach with food. To quote Douglas Adams, they are
“mostly harmless”, although they can get the heart racing when they appear out of the depths while you are having a swim. Their presence can be unsettling, but they are all part of the magic of this gem that is Schouten Island.
Craig Searle is an eighth-generation Tasmanian who proudly hails from convict stock. A teacher for 31 years, he retired in 2011, having spent the last part of his career as an outdoor education specialist. He has a passion for wilderness, remote places and lighthouses and has spent two winters on Maatsuyker Island. He lives in Scottsdale with Debbie, his wife and partner in a lifetime of adventures.